Brazil has been very much in the news this summer, with the World Cup taking place there.

With so much distance in between our tiny Malta and this huge South American nation, it was impossible for most of us to be in Rio de Janeiro or Brasilia to be part of the fun.

But there is another way to be in Brazil without embarking on a long-distance plane ride.

Corinthia Hotel St George’s Bay has come up with an excellent way of experiencing Brazil – it is, of course, much cheaper than flying there and, most of all, a good value for money event.

This is the Brazilian night that is organised every Friday at the Fra Martino restaurant, one of four special evenings that offer a taste of the cuisine of a particular country in the extraordinarily tranquil surroundings of the venue. The other three, by the way, are Maltese nights on Mondays, Indian nights on Wednesdays and Sicilian nights on Saturdays.

But it’s Brazil we’re talking about today, and so it’s time for some more details about what is on offer every Friday at this Corinthia Hotel.

The serenity of the place has already been mentioned, but it’s worth pointing out that the sheltered atmosphere of the outside restaurant – surrounded as it is by the high walls of the hotel on three sides and the magnificent view of the pool and the distant sea on the other – makes Fra Martino ideal for summer al fresco dining.

The food is, then, mouth-watering, abundant and varied, starting off with a wide array of appetisers and going on to the main courses which, as is to be expected, have a Brazilian touch to them.

Chicken, ham, raisin and apple slaw, bacon and onion couscous, Jerked beef salad, pineapple and chicken salad, potato salad, spicy rice salad, grilled aubergines and marrows with passion fruit oil are just the beginning.

Seafood in peanut sauce, grilled beef steaks with lime and chilli flakes, grilled chicken thighs with chilli and plum oil and grilled king prawns are just a section of what is then available as the main course.

The dessert table offers a selection of fruit and cakes that makes it imperative for visitors to leave some space for something sweet at the end.

The meal is accompanied by non-intrusive yet highly-entertaining and melodious music offered by Vinny Vella and his band, including the sweet voice of Andreana Debattista who sings a wide selection of Brazilian songs in flawless Portuguese.